Move Along
by Sierra Hawkins
Summary: A girl being followed by unknown enemies just happens to run into a certain weapons specialist. Summary doesn't do story justice, so please read. Rated T for some swearing. ON HIATUS
1. Running

Hi!

This plot bunny hit me when I was listening to Move Along by the All American Rejects (love that song!!). Anyway, this is my first story ever so no flames please! But constructive criticism is welcomed.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers. So please don't sue.

_Italics:_ thoughts

* * *

[Normal POV]

Ironhide cruised down the city streets toward the energy signature blinking on the map. Another Autobot perhaps? Maybe a Decepticon. Ironhide actually hoped it was a Decepticon so he could fight a bit. The old warrior hadn't done any of what he was born to do for a while. Ironhide continued toward the energy signature, then suddenly found that it was moving. Ironhide growled to himself and picked up his pace to follow it. He decided to get in front of it so he switched streets and pulled into a small alley, waiting for the 'bot or 'con to pull in.

* * *

Sierra Hawkins

Age: 14, Height: 5'6"

Appearance: Long, straight black hair, gray-blue eyes, fit

Clothes: dark blue jeans, light blue hoodie, white tank top with large blue flowers

[Sierra POV]

I sprinted down the street, my backpack almost bouncing off of my back. I took a quick glance behind me and spotted the two cars chasing after me. I pushed past many people and made a sharp turn around a corner, going onto the next street. My throat burned from running for so long, and I couldn't feel my legs anymore. My heart was pounding as I turned yet another corner, but found myself in a small alley. I kept running, but skidded to a stop when one of the cars pulled into the alley. I immediately turned around, but found another car coming in from the other side. I looked at both of the cars coming fast toward me, and I backed up slowly, my eyes darting from car to car. Something behind me gently pushed me forward, and I turned around to see a giant black GMC Topkick. A small gust of heat came out of the grill, as if it was trying to comfort me. I kept backing up, and held on tight to the Topkick behind me. The two cars came to a screeching halt on both sides of me, and several rather large looking men stepped out from each vehicle. From the eerie moonlight, I could faintly make out a frail shape of a woman step out of a car as well. _The mistress. _My grip on the truck behind me tightened, and I was just waiting for someone to come out and help me. The large men were now five feet away on both sides of me, and my breathing got even more rapid that it already was. _Somebody help me! _The mistress's evil cackling cut through the cold, night air.

"Think you could escape me, did you?" she sneered. I didn't say anything.

"Your coming back with me now Sierra Hawkins," demanded the mistress. I didn't move a muscle.

"Move, _now_," she said, with a deadly edge in her voice. "Hey Joe, get rid of that truck behind her."

"Yes ma'am," replied "Joe". Joe began to walk toward the truck, but the truck suddenly burst into movement. The hood split in half and parts began shifting and rearranging themselves. We all stood there awestruck until the shifting stopped, and the truck had become a towering, giant robot of some sort. Its bright blue "eyes" glowed into the dark of the night.

"She's not going anywhere," said the robot in a low, deep, gravelly, basso voice that was clearly masculine. The robot moved in front of me, blocking anyone's path towards me. I, surprisingly, wasn't all that scared. I hid behind the robot's left leg and peered out from behind it. The mistress was staring dumbstruck at my robot savior and the men had backed up a couple of feet. Suddenly the robot whipped out two HUGE cannons that were mounted on his forearms. One glowed orange and the other glowed blue. He aimed one at each group of people. A few tense seconds followed before the men and the mistress rushed back into their cars and tore out of the alley. The robot nodded, harrumphed, and powered down his cannons. I sighed in relief, but immediately tensed up again when I remembered the giant robot in front of me. He slowly turned around and faced me. My legs suddenly felt like jello and I became very dizzy. I stumbled forward, and began to fall. Only I never hit the ground. A strangely warm metal hand caught me, and lifted me up, high off of the ground. My vision had worsened to an unfocused blur now, and my thinking became slow and hazy. My body was unresponsive, but my ears were still functioning properly.

"Are you alright?" asked the robot.

"Mm…tired…" I muttered. The robot began transforming with me in his hand, and before I could process anything that was happening, the next thing I knew I was lying down in the warm cab of a Topkick. I let my body take over, and I fell asleep instantly.

* * *

[Ironhide POV]

Why was the tiny energy signature coming from the girl? What did that mean?

"Ratchet to Ironhide. Report," came Ratchet's voice through the radio.

"Ironhide here," I replied. "Found what was giving off the signature, but... you should just take a look at this."

"Fine. Ratchet out."


	2. Meeting the Team

Hey y'all!  
This story's going well! I thought the last one was okay, so hopefully this one is even better!

Disclaimer: I do NOT Transformers. So please don't sue.

* * *

[Ironhide POV]

"So, what's wrong with her? Why would a human be giving off a energy signature?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I don't know..." replied Ratchet. "The signature is much less powerful than before, the power levels seem to be constantly lowering and raising. I really have no explanation for this."

"Hm. That's a first."

"Oh shut up you afthead."

"So, should we tell her?"

"No, let's wait until I get this all figured out."

"That may take a while."

"Out of my Med Bay, NOW."

* * *

My ears began to hear things first, and then my body began to move. I was lying on what felt like a bed. I could hear voices around me, and then finally, my eyes opened. I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision, and I slowly sat up, stretching. The black robot from last night was standing beside my bed, which I now noticed was very high up.

"Awake I see," said a new voice. I turned around to see another robot, but this one was a little smaller than the black one, and he was neon yellow.

"Feel better?" asked the neon yellow one.

"Mm…yeah…" I mumbled.

"Before you go eat breakfast, I'd like you to meet the rest of the team," said the black one. _There are more of them? _I nodded, and sat up straight. Two more robots entered the room. One of them was definitely the tallest out of the group. He (I'm assuming it was a he) was blue and had red flame decals on his legs, which I guessed were from whatever vehicle he transformed into. The other one was the smallest of them all. He (now I think they're all he's) was yellow and black, and he had "wings" on his back that were formed out of car doors and little "antennae" on his head. The two robots walked up to my bed.

"Sierra Hawkins?" asked the tall one in a deep, low, rumbling, baritone voice. _How does he know my name? Oh wait, the black one probably heard the mistress say it last night and told him._

"Yeah," I replied.

"My name is Optimus Prime," said the tall robot. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron." I nodded, showing that I was following everything he was saying.

"This is my chief medical officer, Ratchet," said Optimus, indicating the neon yellow one.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Ratchet.

"This is my spy and scout, Bumblebee," continued Optimus, gesturing at the yellow and black one.

"Hi!" greeted Bumblebee.

"And you've already met my weapons specialist, Ironhide," finished Optimus, turning to the black one that had saved me last night. Ironhide just nodded in recognition. _Whoa, a weapons specialist? _

"Why are you here?" I asked. Optimus took a deep mechanical sigh and began to explain everything about the Decepticons, the All Spark, Mission City, Sector Seven, and Sam and Mikaela.

"Wow," I said. "That's...wow... So, now you guys live on a base?"

"Yes," answered Optimus. "We are a part of a human-Autobot organization called NEST, who hunt down the rest of the remaining Decepticons."

"Oh, cool," I replied. My stomach then growled quite loudly, and my face turned a little pink when Optimus chuckled a little, a deep rumbling sound emitted from his chest.

"Ready for breakfast?" he asked. I nodded. I was about to hop off of the bed when I remembered how high up I was. Ironhide noticed my dilemma and he walked over and held out his hand. I looked up uncertainly at him, but he just nodded and moved his hand a little closer to the bed. I carefully stepped on, feeling like I was stepping into a canoe in the water. I remembered the last time I tried that the canoe flipped and I toppled into the water. _Good thing his hand can't flip. _I made myself comfortable and sat down criss cross applesauce on Ironhide's hand, and Ironhide walked out of the room. I noticed the building had very high ceilings, and for a good reason too. Ironhide walked down the hallway, turned into another hallway, turned into yet another hallway, and turned again into a different hallway. He opened a huge Autobot-sized door and stepped into a room. The lighting had brightened up a lot and I looked around. It seemed to be a cafeteria, and there were soldiers that I assumed were part of NEST eating breakfast and chatting. Ironhide walked over to a table near the back of the room, and he set me down on the ground with such care and gentleness I didn't even imagine him having. There were two soldiers at the table, a woman, and a little girl that looked only about three or four years old.

"Hey Ironhide," called the soldier with copper colored hair. "Who's this?"

"This is Sierra Hawkins," replied Ironhide. "Remember? She came here yesterday."

"Oh! This is the girl that you saved," the woman jumped in.

"Yep," I said. "That's me."

"I'm Will Lennox," said the soldier. "And this is my wife, Sarah Lennox."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Lennox."

"Oh, just Will and Sarah," said Sarah. "Drop the formalities." The little girl had gotten a little shy when I had come over, and currently she was peering at me from behind Sarah. Sarah followed my gaze.

"Oh, this is Annabelle," informed Sarah. "She's just being a little silly right now." I smiled at Annabelle, who smiled a little back. I sat down at the table and began eating the meal that consisted of four sausage links, one sunny side up egg, pancakes, and fruit. I ate ravenously, having not eaten such a good meal in a long time. Ironhide chatted with Will the whole time, talking about war stories, guns, and other guy things. Sarah was busy helping Annabelle eat some fruit. I finished eating around the time that everyone else did, and it was now 9:00 a.m. I stretched and reclined into my chair.

"That was good," I commented. Sarah smiled at me and continued cleaning Annabelle's face that was smothered with strawberry juice. Annabelle was giggling madly as her mother tried in vain to remove the pinkish smudges on Annabelle's face.

"Need some help there?" I asked.

"Yes please!" replied Sarah, her tone exasperated. I grabbed a napkin and brought it to Annabelle's face. Together, we managed to clean most of the fruity mess off of her face. Immediately after we finished, Annabelle leaped off Sarah's lap and went to bother her father, who was still, amazingly, absorbed in conversation with Ironhide.

"Hey," said Will. "Finished eating?"

"Yep!" replied Annabelle happily. "It was yummy!"

"I bet it was," said Will, who gathered Annabelle up and placed her on his lap. He bounced his legs up and down and Annabelle laughed delightfully. Ironhide smiled at Annabelle, almost warmly, which I found rather frightening. Ironhide did not seem like the type that...smiled warmly at people.

"So, what now?" I pondered out loud.

"Well," said Will. "I've got a budget meeting to go to with the President and Optimus, so I won't be here for most of the day."

"Sounds like fun," I teased.

"Oh trust me, it's LOADS of fun," sighed Will. "The President is nice, but it's those politicians I can't stand."

"And I thought the Cybertronian politicians were bad..." muttered Ironhide. I swallowed a laugh, but kind of choked on it, so it came out as a strangled cough.

"Are you alright?" asked Ironhide, thoroughly concerned. I felt a tingly sensation as a blue light emitted from his eyes, er, optics passed over me.

"Uh, what did you just do?" I asked.

"I scanned you," replied Ironhide. "And it appears that you have been malnour-" I quickly cut Ironhide off.

"You're too concerned. I'm fine."

"Overprotective-" began Will.

"And over-concerned," added Sarah.

"Yeah. Overprotective and over-concerned giant alien robots," finished Will. "What are we ever going to do about them?" Sarah, Will, and I all laughed, but Ironhide growled.

"You humans are too fragile... and squishy," stated Ironhide. "It's not my fault that you get hurt every nanosecond and you live."

"Hey," said Will. "We're not that vulnerable." Ironhide just snorted in response. I shook my head and smiled. It was amazing how comfortable the soldiers at NEST were with the Autobots. An Autobot could easily step on someone, yet they still walked around each other. Will and Ironhide talked like they had been war buddies since time began, and the other Autobots just all had adapted very well.

"Would you like to tour the base?" asked Ironhide quite suddenly.

"Sure!" I replied enthusiastically. Ironhide lowered his hand to the ground, and I carefully climbed on. Ironhide lifted me up and I made myself comfortable.

"Bye!" I said as I waved to the Lennoxes. They all waved back, and they disappeared from view as Ironhide exited the room. He walked with long, powerful strides throughout the halls of the base. He showed me the Med-Bay, the training grounds, the Rec Room, all of the main hangars, and where Optimus's office was.

"That was cool. This is place is huge," I said. "I might get lost."

"I doubt it," was all Ironhide said. "Would you like to see your room?" _My room??_

"Uh, sure!" I replied. Ironhide turned into one hallway that had noticeably more doors in it than other halls. Ironhide walked up to the last door on the right, and it automatically slid open. I gasped slightly when I saw the room. It was as nice as or nicer than a hotel room. There was a full size bed, a small kitchen (complete with a stove, microwave, and fridge), a bathroom with a shower, a desk, a small couch, and a computer. The walls were painted a nice, sandy color. The room seemed to have an ocean theme. There were a few framed pictures in the room of oceans, beaches, seashells, etc. Ironhide set me down and I went and inspected the bathroom. I found that even the soap bars were shaped like seashells and starfish. I have always loved the ocean, even though I had never lived close to it. In truth, I had never even BEEN to the ocean. But I had seen pictures, movies, and things like that.

"Wow..." I said, awed. "This is my room?"

"Yes," replied Ironhide. "And it is conveniently located near all of the Autobots and Sam and Mikaela's rooms."

"Who are Sam and Mikaela?"

"Oh, you haven't met them yet. I think they're visiting tomorrow though, so you'll meet them then." I then noticed my backpack that I had brought with me sitting on the bed. I had completely forgotten about that. I noticed the ceiling was extremely high, high enough to allow an Autobot to stand in their full height. Ironhide ducked a little and walked under the door frame and straightened up when he fully entered my room.

"So," said Ironhide as he sat down on the ground, sending a small tremor through the ground. "Care to tell me what happened last night?" I froze at the question and slowly turned around to face Ironhide. He was fully aware that I was not particularly comfortable with the subject, and he set down his hand for me to sit in. I stepped onto Ironhide's hand hesitantly and he put his hand on his lap. I didn't know if I could completely trust him with my past, so I flat-out lied.

"Well, I'm an orphan to begin with," I said. Well, that part wasn't a lie.

"An orphan?" questioned Ironhide, his voice becoming impossibly soft. "Your...parental units are, deceased?"

"Yeah. They were killed in a car crash a while ago." This part was true too.

"Oh."

"Anyway, I was sent to an orphanage for a while, which was okay. It was a little boring, but after about two months I got adopted." Ironhide merely nodded his head, showing he was following everything.

"The person that adopted me, was, well..."

"Yes?"

"... horrible. It was a woman who was filthy rich and owned a huge house. She made do all of her housework, and treated me like trash. I ate, well, crap everyday and slept in the tiniest room imaginable." I had been looking down at my feet during my explanation, and I took a second to look up at Ironhide. His glowing blue eyes were a bit dimmer than usual and I noticed extra heat coming from him. It was actually making me kind of sleepy.

"And after about three months," I continued. "I just couldn't take it anymore. So I ran away."

"Thus explaining the people chasing after you."

"Yep." I sighed deeply, being relieved that I had finished the false story.

"I'm... sorry that you have been treated that way," said Ironhide a little difficultly. I was surprised by his statement and smiled a little.

"It's okay. The past is the past."

"Hm." Ironhide seemed to contemplate what I had said for a while. I yawned quite loudly and reclined a little in Ironhide's hand.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It is 8:47 p.m.," answered Ironhide.

"Hm... I'm tired."

"So it seems." Ironhide let me off of his hand, and I climbed into my new bed, that had a marvelously soft mattress, without even changing.

"Goodnight," I said. Ironhide stepped out into the hall and turned off the lights. My rather sensitive ears picked up something right before Ironhide closed the door.

"Goodnight Sierra," he whispered through the dark. The door quietly closed and my world faded away.

* * *

Whoooo!

Another chapter done! It took me while to write this. Hope you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW!! ^_^(I hate writer's block!! D=)

~Yours truly, Sierra


	3. New Arrivals

Heeeyy!  
Chapter 3! Woooooot! Hope you like it! Please review!

Disclaimer: I do NOT Transformers. So please don't sue.

* * *

My eyes closed together tighter as the bright morning sun shone upon them. I stretched and pulled myself up. I yawned loudly and blinked a couple of times to clear my vision. For a moment, I didn't recognize the ocean-themed room and my heartbeat immediately picked up. Then all of the memories from the last two days came rushing back into my mind and I calmed down. I got up and lifted up the blinds on the two windows. Sunlight burst into my room making everything look brighter colored. I quickly put on the same clothes from yesterday and walked out into the hall. Ironhide came out of his own room and spotted me in the hall. I waved at him and he walked over.

"How did you sleep?" he asked as I climbed into his hand.

"Well," I replied. "The bed is so comfortable!" Ironhide just chuckled a little, the sound vibrating me a little.

"Hungry?" asked Ironhide.

"As always!" Ironhide shook his head and walked to the Mess Hall (aka the cafeteria). Today all of the Autobots were there, and two teenagers that looked a little older than me were sitting with Bumblebee.

"Good morning Sierra," rumbled Optimus.

"Morning!" I replied happily. Ironhide set me down on the ground and I took a seat at the table with the Lennoxes and the two unidentified teenagers.

"Sam and Mikaela?" I guessed.

"Yeah," said Mikaela, surprised that I knew her name. "I'm Mikaela, and this is my boyfriend Sam."

"Hey," greeted Sam. Bumblebee flapped his "wing" a little in greeting, causing me to croon at him.

"He's so cute!" I exclaimed. Mikaela and Sam smiled.

"Alert!" someone suddenly shouted over the intercom. "Four incoming projectiles detected! All energy signatures identified as Autobot! Landing four miles north from base in approximately ten minutes!" I watched, amazed, as the Mess Hall exploded into motion. Ironhide quickly picked me up and everyone moved out into the main hangar. All of the Autobots transformed into vehicle form and I hopped into Ironhide, along with Will and Epps. I saw Sam and Mikaela disappear into Bumblebee, and multiple soldiers rode in Optimus and Ratchet. Ironhide tore out of the hangar and peeled across the rough terrain at a terrifying sixty miles per hour. There was no road leading to the area were the new arrivals were landing, so everyone was off-roading. Optimus was in the lead, followed by Ironhide, Ratchet, and then Bumblebee. I giggled a little as Will, Epps, and I all bounced up and down in our seats. Optimus's voice came over Ironhide's com.

"Ironhide, meet the third comet. I will take the first, Bumblebee will meet the second, and Ratchet the fourth," said Optimus.

"Affirmative," replied Ironhide, and he abruptly changed direction heading toward the third of the smoking metal protoforms on the ground. Ironhide skidded to a halt in front of the miniature crater and his doors flew open. I hopped down on the ground followed by Will and Epps. Ironhide began transforming instantly, and he slowly approached the protoforms that had also begun transforming. The 'bot was shorter than Ironhide, and lean. The mech said something in Cybertronian to Ironhide, was staring wide eyed at the Autobot. I listened intently as the two conversed in Cybertronian. A mixture of electronic clicks and whirrs filled the night air.

"What the frag?!" exclaimed Ironhide in English. "Not you, you afthead! Oh why in Primus did it have to be you?!"

"What?" asked Will. "Who is it?"

"It's Sideswipe," answered Ironhide, groaning. "He's a melee fighter along with his twin brother, Sunstreaker."

"So?" said Epps.

"They are the most annoying things alive!" ranted Ironhide. "Especially with their constant pranking!"

"Pranking?" I asked, amused.

"Yep!" said Sideswipe, having finished downloading the English language. "We're famous for it!" I could hear Ratchet yelling from half a mile away.

"Sunstreaker?" asked Ironhide. Sideswipe nodded, snickering. "I bet the Hatchet missed him."

"The Hatchet?" asked Epps.

"Nickname," said Sideswipe. Ironhide put his hand up to his "ear", signaling that he was getting an internal com call.

"Okay," said Ironhide. "Time to meet up with Prime and the others." We walked the short distance to where the others were gathered. Introductions soon followed.

"This is Prowl," said Optimus, indicating the mech he had met up with. "Our military strategist and second in command." Prowl was shorter than Optimus, and just a little shorter than Ironhide.

"Hello," said Prowl.

"Wheeljack," said Optimus, motioning to the mech that met up with Bumblebee. "Our, "mechanical engineer"."

"Hello!" greeted Wheeljack enthusiastically. "I'm more of an inventor though."

"These are the twins," finished Optimus. "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Also known as Sunny and Sides."

"Why'd it have to be them?" muttered Ironhide.

"I'll never get rid of those pit-spawned slaggers…" mumbled Ratchet. "Might as well offline myself now…"

"Did ya miss us?" asked Sideswipe in a sickly sweet voice. Ironhide groaned again and Ratchet looked about ready to blow a circuit. His left optic was twitching quite badly.

"And they are…?" said Prowl, who was looking curiously at us.

"This Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes, Sierra Hawkins, Major William Lennox, and Master Sergeant Robert Epps," said Optimus.

"Hi," I greeted. "Welcome to Earth!"

"Um, hi," said Sam. Mikaela had mentioned that he was never really any good at introductions.

"Hi," said Mikaela. "I hope you like it here!"

"Hi," chorused Will and Bobby.

"Now, do you all know what alt mode you will choose?" asked Optimus. "We need to get out of sight quickly."

"Yes sir," replied all of the new arrivals.

"Good," said Optimus. "Autobots, roll out!" Sideswipe transformed into a bright red Lamborghini and Sunstreaker turned into a yellow Lamborghini. Prowl chose a Brabus CLS V12 S Rocket police car and Wheeljack was a white 2010 Dodge Charger with red and green racing stripes. The Autobots drove back to base in a much more relaxed manner. We all arrived in the main hangar safely, and all of the humans got out of the Autobots, who promptly transformed.

"Oh!" exclaimed Wheeljack suddenly. "I have a new invention I've been meaning to show you guys!"

"Uh oh..." murmured Ironhide.

* * *

Hoped you like it! I had issues finding alt modes for Prowl and Wheeljack that I liked. Whew! That took a while... oh, please review! (Yes, I already knew I said that)

~Sierra


	4. Holoforms

Hiya!  
Chapter 4! I am on a ROLL! Probably because I have so much time since it's break. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers. So please don't sue.

* * *

Optimus sighed heavily.

"Okay Wheeljack," said Optimus. "What is the new invention?"

"Well," began Wheeljack. "Before I landed on Earth, I had a chance to study the human species. Then a brilliant idea came to mind!"

"Oh dear Primus…" muttered Ratchet.

"I thought, well, since Autobots are so much larger in size than humans, it's sometimes to interact and communicate, am I correct?" asked Wheeljack. All of the Autobots nodded, grunted, or murmured a "yes".

"I remembered this technology we had back on Cybertron, and I created a holoform."

"Holoform?" questioned Optimus.

"Yep," replied Wheeljack. "It's a program that can be downloaded, and it produces a sort of solid hologram."

"And, this would help us how?" asked Ironhide.

"The hologram projection, well… would be a human perception of yourself," answered Wheeljack.

"What?! You can do that?!" exclaimed Will.

"Apparently so…" said Optimus.

"So, what do you think?" asked Wheeljack eagerly. "May the program be installed on everyone?"

"Might as well install a virus on me!" yelled Ironhide.

"What?" I asked, completely confused. It sounded like a good idea to me.

"Well, Wheeljack's inventions have a tendency to…explode," explained Prowl.

"Oh…"

"Well, would you download it if Ratchet approved?" asked Wheeljack. The silence that followed was an obvious yes.

"I guess I could look at it," sighed Ratchet. "It might take a while though…"

_Three hours later…_

Ironhide was sitting on the ground with his back propped against the wall (I'm pretty sure he was getting a light recharge), and I was sitting on his shoulder, trying in vain to keep my eyes open. Bumblebee had Mikaela and Sam in his hands, and they were both sound asleep. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were surfing the web, probably looking at stuff they shouldn't be looking at. Optimus was pacing in front of the door to the Med Bay, where Wheeljack and Ratchet were, and Prowl was reading some random data pad he had found. Will was staring blankly at the Med Bay door, waiting for it to open. I think he might have actually been sleeping with his eyes open, if that was even possible. Epps was standing next to Will, fiddling with his cellphone. Everyone immediately perked up when the door opened.

"We're done," announced Wheeljack. Will and Epps harrahed, and I nearly felt like setting off fireworks for the occasion.

"Hallelujah, hallelujah!" women sang out of 'Bee's radio.

"Ha ha, very funny," said Wheeljack. Ratchet poked his head out of the door.

"Okay, all done. All Autobots inside, now!" barked Ratchet. Everyone hustled in, leaving Sam, Mikaela, Will, Epps, and I alone waiting anxiously outside the Med Bay doors.

_One hour later..._

I was leaning against Mikaela, who was leaning against Sam, who was leaning against Will, who was leaning against Epps. The Med Bay doors FINALLY opened, and oddly, the Autobots drove out, all in vehicle mode. They formed a row in front of us, and nothing happened for a moment. Suddenly a person appeared in front of each vehicle, earning a gasp from us humans. I carefully looked at each holoform, beginning with Optimus. He was tall, probably over six feet, and he was lean and muscular. He looked around, maybe 38 or 39 years old. He had like really, really, really dark blue, shaggy hair that was almost black. He had royal blue eyes and a small, shaggy beard. Optimus was wearing dark blue jeans, black boots, and a black form-fitting t-shirt under a red, blue, and white military jacket that sort of matched the paint job on his vehicle form. Ironhide was also tall and lean, but even more muscular than Optimus. He looked somewhere in his mid forties and had jet-black, spiky hair that was graying a bit at the tips and bright, icy blue eyes. He was wearing dark blue jeans, black and silver cowboy boots, and a black military jacket. Ironhide also had a goatee and a stubbly beard and a distinguished scar across his right eye. Ratchet was also lean and tall, and about as muscular as Optimus. Ratchet also looked about 38 or 39 years old. He had chocolate brown hair with natural highlights of different browns and teal colored eyes. He also had a small goatee thin framed, rectangular glasses. He was wearing khaki colored slacks, a pale yellow button-up shirt, and a white lab coat. Prowl looked similar to Ratchet. He also had brown hair and rectangular glasses. He also looked around the same age, but his eyes were a gray color. He was wearing a plain white polo shirt and khaki colored slacks. He also had a navy blue police officer jacket on. Wheeljack was a little shorter than the others, and less muscular. He had dark brown shaggy hair that went down to his neck. He had brilliant green eyes, a headset on his head, and a red handkerchief tied around his neck. He was wearing a white jumpsuit with some red and green on it. I thought it looked like a race car driver's suit. Bumblebee was the shortest of them all, but he did look only twenty years old. He was also lean and muscular, at least for a twenty-year-old. He had shaggy, messy, blond hair and very pale blue eyes. He was wearing a yellow and black sleeveless shirt that also looked like a vest. He was also wearing knee-length shorts and black and yellow running shoes. Last but not least, there were the twins. Both were tall, lean, and muscular, and they looked around twenty-five years old. They both had maple brown hair, and Sunstreaker had a streak of yellow in his hair and Sideswipe had a streak of red in his hair. They were both wearing racing suits as well, with Sunstreaker's being yellow and Sideswipe's being red.

"W-wow..." I stuttered.

"Whoa..." murmured Sam.

"Holy..." said Will.

"Crap..." muttered Epps.

"Oh my god..." whispered Mikaela.

"So, what do you think?" asked Wheeljack eagerly. "Aren't they extraordinary?"

"How do you even _make_ a solid hologram?" I asked.

"Well," began Wheeljack. "You simply bend the human law of physics a bit by..." I quickly zoned out Wheeljack's incomprehensible chatter. I patiently waited for him to finish.

"And therefore, that is why it is possible," finished Wheeljack.

"Hm, interesting," I replied. _Mental note to self. Never ask Wheeljack to explain something to you. _

"Am I hot or what?" said Sunny, looking himself over. "But I still say my mech form looks better."

"I say they're both ugly," replied Sides. Sunny growled at him and continued to look himself over.

"I feel so... small," grumbled Ironhide. "Too small."

"Get used to it," said Mikaela. "And you're already tall for a human." A brief look of despair flashed across Ironhide's face, but was quickly replaced by a firm scowl.

"This is an interesting experience," noted Optimus. "Everything looks different from this point of view."

"Hm, I agree," said Prowl.

"Well, there's being human for ya," said Will. "We're small and tiny."

"Hmph. I'd say more like microscopic," grunted Ironhide.

"What should we do now?" I asked. "Maybe, go outside and rest for a bit? The weather's nice and no Decepticons are around."

"Hm... sounds like a plan," replied Optimus.

* * *

BOOM BADA BANG!  
There you go, chapter 4. I've always been interested with the holoform idea, so I decided to write about it. The links to pictures of the holoforms are on my profile.

~Sierra


	5. Fun in the Sun

Hi!  
Yes, I know it's been along time since I've updated on this story, but I've run out of ideas! I really had to crank out this chapter. Sorry if it's crappy. :(

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers.

* * *

Our group headed outside into the bright afternoon sun, a calm breeze rustling the leaves in the trees. I watched curiously as the Autobots formed a messy circle around us humans.

"What?" I asked.

"What should we do?" asked Bumblebee. Lennox, Epps, Sam, Mikaela, and I all pondered the thought. I became worried when Lennox's face lit up and he smiled.

"How 'bout some swimming?" he suggested. "There's a nice lake not far from here, and it's kinda hot outside, so it might be nice to cool down a bit." A mental image of the Autobots swimming popped up in my head, and I almost choked from keeping from exploding into laughter. Ironhide looked at me funny, and I noticed Ratchet was also looking at me, concerned. Not good.

"I'm fine," I said. "Nothing's wrong." Ironhide muttered something about "strange humans" before Epps spoke up.

"So?" he said. "You guys into some swimmin'?" The Autobots glanced at each other, some looks of uneasiness or amusement.

"We would gladly go swimming," answered Optimus. All of the Autobots transformed into their vehicle modes, and they waited for us to grab some swim gear. I took a towel from my bathroom, borrowed a swim suit from Mikaela, and made it back outside in less than ten minutes. Ironhide revved his engine, shifting a bit on his shocks. _Impatient I see. _I hurried to the Topkick before something bad happened and threw my stuff into the back. I climbed (literally) into the passenger seat and jumped a little when the seatbelt buckled itself. The twins drove off first, quickly followed by Bumblebee, Prowl, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Ironhide, with Optimus taking up the back. Soon the three younger mechs in the front were racing, since the road we were on was rather remote, meaning no law enforcement. All three flashy cars were side by side, engines roaring as they tried to pass each other. Sideswipe, getting feisty, shoved his twin a little, causing him to use the brakes. Sunstreaker of course got mad, and shoved Sideswipe. The twins began to have a shoving contest, and Bumblebee easily pulled in front of them.

"Younglings…" murmured Ironhide. I tilted my head at the term.

"Youngling…?" I curiously asked.

"Child," responded Ironhide. "Child, kid, youth, annoying twins…" I looked back out the window when a loud blast of a horn followed by some yelling caught my attention. Sideswipe had tried to go around a big bump in the road, but had accidentally veered into Sunstreaker, making said bot slam into Bumblebee. There was a mini car crash in front of me, except no one was damaged. Optimus pulled up beside them and probably scolded them. Ironhide and Ratchet pulled up ahead of the others, stopping parallel to Optimus. I squealed as the three sports cars in front of us suddenly took off, spraying the three senior officers completely with mud. Ironhide and I sat in silence for a moment, and I was too afraid to say anything. Slowly, the windshield wipers cleared off most of the mud, and I felt the seat tense under me. _Uh oh. _Ironhide's eye twitched before he let out a deafening roar and floored the pedal. I got pushed back into my seat as he sped after them. Bumblebee, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker's tires didn't do too well on the rough road, forcing them to slow down. Ironhide's four wheel drive, shocks, and better tires allowed him to speed across the rough terrain. I laughed giddily as I bounced around the cab, and at one point almost hit my nose against the dashboard. The radio crackled before Sideswipe's voice came through.

"What's wrong Ironhide?" he asked. "Can't catch us? Getting too OLD?" _Those three are asking for a trip to hell and back. _

"COME BACK HERE YOU FRAGGING LITTLE PIT-SPAWNED GLITCHHEAD!" roared Ironhide. Sideswipe cackled before cutting the transmission. Ironhide was getting REALLY close to them now, and I thought I could almost hear their screams of terror. I frowned as Ironhide suddenly screeched to a stop, unbuckled my seatbelt, and literally dumped me out. The door closed quickly and Ironhide sped off, catching up with the twins and Bee.

"Thanks for ditching me!" I shouted after him. I turned my head as Optimus pulled to a stop beside me and opened the door. I gratefully hopped inside and buckled myself. No one spoke. _Awkward silence._

"I believe those four have already arrived at the lake," rumbled Optimus.

"Wow, that was fast," I commented. Optimus' radio turned on, and at first all we could hear was static.

"Bzzzt- help!-bzzzt," came from the radio. Yep, that was definitely Sunstreaker.

"Bzzzzzzzt-AHHHH!-Bzzzzzzzt-HE'S GONNA KILL ME!" The radio turned off. It was silent for a while.

"Maybe you should speed up…?" I suggested. "Before someone gets hurt?"

"Hm, too late…" I thought I heard Optimus mutter, but nonetheless, he sped up. We got to the lake in about five minutes, and I burst into laughter at the sight. Ironhide had all three mechs pinned down on the ground, and he was sitting on them casually, leaning back against a tree. The helpless and angry expressions on the twins and Bee's face were priceless, plus the smirk plastered on Ironhide's face.

"Kodak moment!" I exclaimed. Optimus watched with a raised eyebrow as I grabbed my camera and quickly took a picture before anyone moved. All the humans and holoforms hopped out of the cars, and I immediately ripped my clothes off, much to most of the mech's horror.

"What?" I said. "I DID wear my bikini under!" Mikaela, Sam, Lennox, and Epps had also all changed. Sam and Lennox went running at the lake, and jumped off of the dock. The resulting splash was large enough to lightly spray Mikaela and I, standing at the shore. Epps was not far behind Sam and Lennox, and he jumped in as well.

"WHOOOOO!" he shouted as he jumped straight for Sam and Lennox. They quickly moved out of the way as Epps did a perfect cannonball. All of the Autobots were in holoform, standing at the shore uneasily. Wheeljack had lost interest to examining the water and the plants. The twins and Bumblebee were the first to hesitantly step onto the dock.

"What, afraid of water?" said Sam.

"Well, we have actually never been in water before," said Bumblebee. "Our bipedal forms are not made to deal with being submersed in liquids."

"Oh," said Sam. "Well, jump in already then! First time experience!" Sideswipe moved forward first before jumping into the water. We all waited for him to resurface. Almost two minutes passed.

"Um, he's okay right?" said Sam. "You guys don't have to breathe right?"

"No…" said Ratchet. Suddenly Sam squealed as he was pulled underwater. All of the Autobots moved forward in instinct, but Sideswipe resurfaced with a laughing Sam.

"D-Don't do that!" shouted Sam. "Scared the hell out of me!"

"What happened?" questioned Ratchet.

"He pulled me under!" exclaimed Sam.

"That looks like fun!" said Sunstreaker before he jumped in as well. Bumblebee followed not long after. Mikaela and I also waded in, swimming out to where the others were. I noticed that the senior officers had still not budged.

"Aren't you guys coming in?" I asked. All of them looked nervous.

"Oh wow guys," said Lennox. "How very manly of you. Scared of water." This aroused an immediate reaction from Ironhide, who cares very much about his manliness, and Ironhide growled.

"Am not!" he said.

"Then come in!" said Epps. Still, no one moved.

"Oh my god guys," I said as I stepped out of the lake. "Come on!" Optimus bravely stepped forward and walked onto the dock.

"Look at that," said Mikaela. "Leader always going first. Yeah Optimus!" I got a bad feeling when Ironhide quietly followed Prime. Optimus got to the edge of the dock and hesitated.

"IN YOU GO!" shouted Ironhide as he pushed Optimus forward. It seemed to happen in slow motion as the Autobot leader flew off of the dock, and in the last second, grabbed onto Ironhide's arm. Both men plunged into the lake, making the biggest splash yet. Optimus emerged first, sputtering. Ironhide came up a couple of seconds later, laughing hysterically. Optimus just frowned and faced the two remaining Autobots. Ratchet and Prowl had firm scowls on.

"You guys are no fun!" Sam shouted. Ratchet snorted and Prowl rolled his eyes.

"Even Optimus and Ironhide are in the water!" said Lennox. Still the firm scowls. I pouted and got out of the water, signaling Mikaela and Sam to follow me. Ratchet and Prowl backed away a bit as we approached. I grabbed one of each of their arms and began dragging them towards the dock. Sam pushed Prowl and Mikaela pushed Ratchet. The two Autobots literally dug their heels into the ground, trying to stop us. I began running, lurching Prowl and Ratchet forward, and Sam and Mikaela began running too.

"EPPS!" shrieked Lennox. "CAMERA!" Epps got a camera out of nowhere and handed it to Lennox.

"Kodak moment!" shouted Lennox as I jumped forward, off of the deck, with the two officers in two. Sam and Mikaela gave their last push and we were all airborne. We almost seemed to be suspended in the air for a moment, and I thought I could almost hear the click of Lennox's camera before we came crashing down into the water .I laughed in underwater, causing bubbles to surround me. I leisurely swam to the surface and brushed my hair out of my face. Sam came up next with Mikaela, and lastly Ratchet and Prowl practically burst out of the water, sputtering. I noticed that the twins were missing.

"Uh, where are the twins?" I asked worriedly. Everyone looked around.

"I don't know…!" said Ironhide as he was pulled sharply underwater. Ratchet began laughing before he also got pulled under. The twins plus an enraged weapons specialist and a pissed off medical officer emerged. Ratchet and Ironhide began growling, and twins swam away. Before anything got ugly, I got an idea.

"WATER FIGHT!" I screamed as I splashed the closest person to me, which happened to be Bumblebee.

"Ach!" sputtered Bee as he tried to shield his face. He gave up and started splashing me back. Sam and joined in and started splashing me, and I kicked some water back at him, unfortunately also catching Optimus in the crossfire. Optimus blinked a couple of times as the water dripped off of his face. Prowl took advantage of this and Optimus got splashed again. Finally understanding the point of the game, Optimus unleashed a barrage of powerful splashes at Sam and me, engulfing our faces. Somehow, Ratchet, Ironhide, and the twins had swum back and were joining the fight.

"Every man or woman or 'bot for themselves!" shouted Lennox as he splashed Epps. An extremely loud crack of thunder suddenly shook the skies.

"Aw, a storm!" said Sam. But the sky was still clear and blue. No storm clouds anywhere. Another crack of thunder.

"Where are these cracks of thunder coming from?" asked Mikaela. All the Autobots tensed as the whine of a jet engine filled our ears.

"It's Thundercracker!" shouted Ironhide. How ironic, I thought, as the water exploded around me.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Review are appreaciated!

~Sierra


	6. Unusual

Happy Holidays everyone!

Sorry for the extremely LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG wait, but I finally update this story. I was busy with Transformed Wolves and school. But now it's break! :D I'm getting quite a lot of snow here. Yay! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's a little shorter than the last chapter, my apologies.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers. None of it.

_

* * *

_

_Last Chapter…_

"_It's Thundercracker!" shouted Ironhide. How ironic, I thought, as the water exploded around me. _

I didn't have to scream as the water around me seemed to explode upwards, engulfing me. I was pushed underwater, and I tried to breathe but instead gulped down some lake water. I started choking, and I knew I was going to drown if I didn't do something. I tried in vain to swim upwards, but explosion after explosion had the water around me bubbling and moving like a whirlpool, plunging me deeper and deeper. I used all of my strength and kicked, launching me towards the surface only to be hit directly by an explosion. I screamed silently as bubbles escaped my mouth and rose to the ever distant growing surface as I sunk. My lungs felt like they were going to burst, but I couldn't breathe. I cracked my eyes open just a tiny bit and saw nothing but green murkiness. My eyesight slowly blurred and I felt lightheaded and cold as I fell unconscious.

* * *

"Sierra?"

"Sierra, please wake up!"

"Don't fragging die on me youngling!"

"Slaggit Sierra!"

Concerned voices filled my ears as I coughed and wheezed, my eyes fluttering open. I had to wait for a moment for the four faces in front of me to become clear. There was Sam and Mikaela to my right, and Ratchet's and Ironhide's large metallic faces to my left. I tried to sit up but cried out in pain and fell back onto my back as a horrible stinging sensation coursed through my abdomen area.

"Take it easy Sierra," said Ratchet. "You're injured."

"Really?" I said irritably. "I didn't know." Ratchet narrowed his eyes and pointed a metal finger at my face.

"Watch it," he growled. I looked over at Sam and Mikaela who were concerned looking, both of their eyebrows closely knit together.

"You okay?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, I think so," I said. Mikaela didn't say anything; she just seemed to be staring at something. I followed her gaze to my abdomen area and gasped. Everything was bloody and torn, and the bandage I guessed Ratchet had put on was already soaked through.

"It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it might," I said.

"That's because I used a mild pain reliever on you," replied Ratchet. "It was the only thing I had with me at the moment."

"Oh," was all I said. Then I looked over at Ironhide who was looking away at the moment. I could see under his tough and gruff façade. He looked guilty, and his optics were cast downwards.

"Hey," I said, suddenly remembering something. "What happened to that jet?" Ironhide and Ratchet visibly tensed.

"He got away," growled Ironhide. "Flew off at the last second."

"But he was heavily damaged," added Ratchet. "Probably won't be seeing him around for a while."

"Oh, I guess that's good," I replied.

"We should get you back to base," said Ironhide, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Come with me." I nodded and leaned on Ratchet's leg as I slowly stood up, careful to not bother my injury any more. Mikaela let me lean on her as she led me to the black Topkick, and she lifted me a little as I climbed into the cab. The seatbelt fastened itself tightly around me, much to my surprise. I looked over at Mikaela, confused at the action. She just smiled at me and winked. She had to back off quickly as the door practically slammed shut and Ironhide started his engine with a roar.

* * *

"She should've died today," said Ironhide tersely over his internal comm link.

"I know," replied Ratchet "She was hit directly with a missile. No human should've survived that."

"Then why did she?"

"I don't know," replied Ratchet. "But on the day you met her, you said were originally tracking a Cybertronian signal, right?"

"Yeah," replied Ironhide. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything dumbaft."

"Hey!" growled Ironhide indignantly.

"Stop it you two," said Optimus Prime as he joined the conversation. "What is it you're arguing about?"

"Nothing," grumbled Ironhide unhappily. Ratchet snorted.

"It was nothing," reassured Ratchet. "But the girl. She survived the impact of the missile. And I think it had something to do with the weak Cybertronian signal emitting from her."

"…What?"

* * *

It was silent during the ride back to base, and I constantly switched positions, not feeling comfortable in any way. I bit my lip as the awkward silence continued. It was weird knowing someone was watching and listening to you but not being able to see him or her. Or autonomous robotic organism in my case. I tried to distract myself by looking outside, but the scenery wasn't the greatest. I turned my attention back to inside the truck, and I fiddled with the radio, trying to get it to turn on. I stopped once I remembered that I was in an alien robot.

"So…" I said, trying to think of how to small talk with a weapons specialist.

"You should've died," said Ironhide, tone flat. I flinched slightly. That thought had already passed through my mind millions of times already. Getting hit by a missile was no light injury. I _was _supposed to be dead. So how come I wasn't?

"And…?" I replied, uncomfortable with the sudden tenseness in the cab.

"Never mind," said Ironhide sharply. "Forget it." The minutes passed slowly, and soon enough I was feeling drowsy. The leather seats were pretty comfy, and the silence was sleep-inducing. I was barely awake enough to see Ironhide's holoform flicker to life in the driver's seat. I pretended to be asleep as I watched him take his black jacket off, and I smiled a little as he took his attention off of the road and used both of his hands to take the jacket off so it looked like the truck was driving itself. Well, I guess it was. Ironhide was smart enough to put one hand back on the wheel as he gently laid his jacket on me. I was a little cold, so I gratefully cuddled into the jacket. The smell of leather, smoke, and something else I couldn't identify filled my nose. I smiled again, amused and comforted by Ironhide's uncharacteristic action. I glanced out the window and it was raining, the raindrops plopping softly on the windows. I relaxed and sighed, quickly falling asleep for real this time.

* * *

Sooooo, what'd ya think? It was hard to write this chapter. Took FOREVER. Please review though! Click the pretty button.

~Sierra


	7. The Truth Hurts

Hi!

I have so much more time now, and so here's the next chapter. I feel like the story might be a little rushed, but there's just so much more coming! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers.

* * *

The deep voices of several rumbled around me, but I couldn't comprehend what they were saying. I knew I was awake, but my brain wasn't working properly. I felt extremely sluggish, and I couldn't get myself to move or even open my eyes. I couldn't understand or comprehend what the voices were saying, I could only hear them. There were three voices, all masculine. One voice was low, deep, and more rumbling and than the others. I guessed it was Optimus. The second voice was also very low, but quieter and smoother than the first. Probably Ratchet. The third voice was just as low, but gravelly and husky. Definitely Ironhide. I used all my will power and strength to try to get my eyes open, and they cracked open just a tiny bit. Bright light flooded my face and I had to look away and close my eyes again to adjust. I blinked a couple of times, and my vision finally cleared. I was in the Med Bay on a human bed. Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Ratchet were gathered around me just as I had guessed, but they were unaware that I had woken up.

"But it's not possible," said Optimus. "How could she…?"

"I do not know," replied Ratchet. "But I will investigate further."

"Will this affect Sierra's health in any way?" asked Optimus. Uh oh. They were talking about me.

"Not that I know of, no," answered Ratchet.

"Hmm," rumbled Ironhide. "I'm just wondering how she could've had come in contact with the All Spark."

"…What?" I sputtered in surprise.

"Oh, you're awake," said Ratchet. "I must've been too distracted to notice…"

"What's this about me touching the All Spark thingy?" I shouted, sitting up. My injury from the previous day was feeling much better.

"Er," said Ratchet, glancing briefly at Ironhide and Optimus. "There's been a development."

"To put it simply," said Optimus. "Ratchet has detected a weak but constant Cybertronian signal that you are still currently emitting." It was completely silent for a moment.

"No, not possible," I said, shaking my head. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know," grumbled Ironhide. "Hatchet here has lost his mind..." Ratchet raised his arm, a huge robot-sized wrench in his hand.

"Shutting up," muttered Ironhide.

"As I was saying," continued Optimus. "The day you met Ironhide, he was originally tracking a Cybertronian signal. Which led him to you." I looked up at Optimus, my eyes narrowed.

"So you're saying," I said. "That I'm giving out a Cybertronian signal."

"Yes," replied Ratchet.

"…Why?" I asked.

"I don't know," replied Ratchet, sighing. "But there is also a trace of All Spark radiation on you, but it has almost completely faded away."

"Ooookay," I said. "…And?"

"It was a miracle that you survived from that blast," said Ratchet. "Any human would've died. But you didn't. And your injury also healed more quickly than natural." I didn't say anything. I just stared at Ratchet's neon yellow face, and I looked down at my bandaged abdomen. There was no blood, and I cautiously began to unwrap the bandage.

"Sierra, it's not done healing yet…" began Ratchet, but I kept on going. I took off the bandage and stared. There was nothing. No blood, no giant bruise, no scar. Just normal skin.

"Primus…" murmured Ratchet.

"Uh," I said. "This isn't normal I take it?"

"Not at all," said Ratchet, his optics lighting up and shining a light blue light over me.

"Hm," said Ratchet. "My scans reveal nothing except an exceptional amount of metal in your body. And the metal seems to be…" Optimus, Ironhide, and I waited in anticipation.

"The metal seems to be of Cybertronian origin," finished Ratchet. "Your bones and skin are slowly transforming into the metal." Silence.

"…So, I'm like part Cybertronian?"I asked nervously.

"Not exactly," replied Ratchet. "Well, not yet. The transformation may take up to a month..." I began to shake uncontrollably, my breaths becoming heavy and hoarse.

"W-What?" I stuttered. "S-So I'm like s-some kind of m-metal f-freak?" I curled in upon myself, trying to stop shaking. I blinked angrily as I felt tears forming.

"Sierra?" asked Optimus, his voice filled with concern.

"I believe she is suffering from shock," said Ratchet.

"Of course I'm suffering from some damn shock!" I shouted angrily. Optimus and Ratchet blinked in surprise at my sudden outburst. Ironhide just watched silently.

"Wouldn't you be freaking out if you found out you're turning into a fucking metal monster?" I shouted. "I'll be a freak! And if the mistress finds out, she'll come and get me! Then they'll do those horrible experiments and other shit on me again!" My eyes widened and I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle the squeak.

"…I thought you said that you were running from your orphanage," said Ironhide slowly, his optics boring into my head.

"I lied," I said. "I lied, okay? At that point I didn't know if I trusted you enough." Ironhide didn't reply.

"What kind of experiments?" asked Ratchet.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said.

"Please, Sierra, we need to know," coaxed Optimus.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" I shouted. "Can you guys just leave me alone for awhile? Do you have to crowd around the human freak?" Ironhide looked at me intensely before grunting.

"Let's go," he said, turning around and exiting the room. Optimus followed Ironhide out, and Ratchet left reluctantly, going to his office next door. I sighed deeply, lying down on my back. What did this mean? Was I going to be part human part robot? Like a cyborg or something? I swallowed a sob and sighed again, trying to control my turmoil of emotions. I closed my eyes, curling up. I looked around for a blanket, and I saw Ironhide's jacket again. I grabbed it and covered myself with it. I smelled the leather and smoke again, and the third smell I thought smelled like metal. It was a strange mixture. I let my mind wander, and soon I fell asleep again.

* * *

_I struggled against the straps holding me down, and my wrists were already turning red. There was a light in front of me, and it was so bright. I closed my eyes, but I saw splotches of bright light. I opened my eyes again, and a face moved in front of the light. The man was holding two long needles, and he moved towards my arm. _

"_Let me go!" I shouted, but my voice sounded distant and muffled. My vision started to blur as I struggled crazily, flinging myself around, desperately trying to get away from those needles. Another man came, holding another needle. All three needles were injected into me at the same time, and I opened my mouth, trying to scream but no sound came out. Pain was spreading through my body from each of the points were the needles had penetrated my skin. The pain slowly receded, and weird prickling feeling replaced it. Soon enough, I found that I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. The first man pulled out a small knife and made a small cut on my arm. It stung a little, and I tried to look down at the cut but I still couldn't move. The light was blinding, and I closed my eyes again. I could feel blood trickling down my arm and dripping off my fingertip. After a few seconds, I could no longer feel the blood. _

"_She has healed in 9.57 seconds," said the first man. _

"_Impressive," said another person, a suited figure. "She could be useful later on. How much injury can she take without dying?"_

"_And still be able to heal?" continued the second man. "Quite a lot. Let me demonstrate." The light grew brighter, and I heard a click and a loud bang. _

"AH!" I screamed, bolting straight up, clutching the chest area of my shirt. I breathed heavily and looked around. Medical equipment. _I'm still in the lab! I have to get out! _I quickly jumped out of the bed and ran for the rather large door. My vision has still blurry, and I stumbled on the steps to the door. I banged on the door, wanting it to open. It finally slid open with a hiss and I ran. I didn't even get out of the room before I slammed into a person. I was knocked backwards and landed on my back.

"Ow…" I muttered. But the panic came back. _It's probably one of the experimenters! _I jumped off the ground and tried to push past the man, but two thick and strong arms grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. The man held me firmly against his firm chest, and I kicked and flailed in vain. The experimenter had me stuck.

"Sierra!" said the man. "Stop it!"

"No!" I shouted back. "Let me go! Let me GO!" I pushed against the experimenter's chest, my eyes closed as I continued to struggle in vain.

"Let me go!" I sobbed. "I don't want to be tested anymore!"

"No one's testing you!" said the man. "Slag it Sierra! Stop hitting me!" I finally opened my eyes. My capturer slowed came into focus, and I immediately recognized the sharp featured face and black spiky hair.

"I-Ironhide?" I said, still trying to comprehend what the heck was going on. _What's Ironhide doing in the lab? _

"Calm down," said Ironhide. "You're safe." Suddenly I realized where I actually was, and I went limp. Ironhide caught me before I fell to the floor, and he awkwardly tried to get me to stand.

"Sierra…" said Ironhide, still trying to get me on my feet.

"I'm sorry," I said, throwing my arms around Ironhide's neck and hugging him tightly. I could feel Ironhide tense, and he put him arms lightly around me.

"It's okay youngling," he said softly yet awkwardly. I began to sob softly, my tears creating a wet spot on Ironhide's shirt.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "I had a nightmare, and I thought that I was still…" Ironhide picked me up and carried my over back to the bed. I sat down on the edge, sniffing.

"Ugh," I said, wiping away my tears. "This is so embarrassing…" Suddenly the Med Bay doors opened and Optimus and Ratchet ran in, in holoform.

"What happened?" said Ratchet. "I heard a scream…"

"It was me," I said miserably. "I had a nightmare." Optimus and Ratchet looked distant for a moment.

"Oh," said Optimus. "Are you alright? Normally nightmares aren't this extreme, correct?"

"Yeah," I murmured. "But I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" replied Optimus.

"Yeah. But I'm kinda hungry. You guys got food?"

"Of course," said Ratchet. "Let's go."

* * *

Why do I end my chapters with getting food? I dunno. But anyways, please review!

~Sierra


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